Pharmacists concerned by price hike for popular blood thinner

Pharmacy chain BENU is warning that a steep price increase for the blood thinner Eliquis is threatening patient access to vital medication, RTL reports. The drug's new cost, set by U.S. manufacturer Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), now exceeds what Dutch health insurers are willing to reimburse, putting pharmacies in a financial bind.

“It is crucial that patients continue to have access to affordable medication without placing the healthcare system under unacceptable financial pressure,” Léon Tinke, general director of BENU Nederland, which operates 345 pharmacies, told RTL. “The continuity of Eliquis deliveries through pharmaceutical wholesalers and pharmacies is at stake.”

Eliquis, widely used in the Netherlands by patients with thrombosis, is reportedly the country’s most prescribed blood thinner. BENU stated that the patent on the medication will expire in the Netherlands within approximately 18 months, after which alternatives are expected to enter the market at prices 80 to 90 percent lower.

Speaking to Het Financieele Dagblad, Tinke said that BMS cited a decree by former U.S. president Donald Trump as the reason behind the price hike.